Sailing the Ocean Blue
We take a trip just about every year with our friend Fred from back in Philly. Our birthdays are two days apart, so we always have an excuse to reconnect and visit someplace new. This year we decided to try a cruise. Rich and I have never been on one, and we worried we might spend the whole time sea sick or bored. But we had a great time! We sailed with Royal Caribbean on the Navigator of the Seas.
Grand Cayman was our first port, where we swam with stingrays. We took a boat out into the bay where they gather (for feeding by tourists) in about 3-4 feet of water. They’ll swim right up against your legs with the flaps, and are very friendly. You have to shuffle your feet to avoid stepping on them (and getting a stinger in your foot).
We spent the rest of the time checking out the jewelry and watches available (in abundance) in George Town. I’m not much of a jewelry person… though all the tanzanite was pretty, I couldn’t see myself wearing any of it.
Our second port was Cozumel, which my first visit to Mexico. We tried helmet diving, which is diving with a air-filled helmet connected to a pressurized air hose. We got to explore some pretty cool underwater wreckage, including a wrecked plane and a canon from some long-lost era.
And of course, more jewelry and watches. Though we didn’t get to check out downtown, which I hear has more shopping.
But there’s always next time. We definitely plan on taking another cruise, maybe on the world’s largest passenger ship.
And I definitely recommend Royal Caribbean.
Returned From Breckenridge, Nothing Broken
We just returned from our annual ski trip, and everyone returned safe and sound with all limbs intact. It was our largest group yet with fifteen of us in one big house. In the past we’ve rented a house on or near the slopes, but this year we opted for a place in town. The French Street Inn was formerly a bed and breakfast and was located just a few blocks from the gondolas and the slopes. With over 30 inches of snow in during the 6 days we were there, there was plenty of awesome skiing.
With a house in town, it was also easy for those of us who didn’t ski every day to explore some of the other activities like getting a much needed massage!
It was a much needed break, and I believe we may have brought the snow back with us. We’ve received snow and ice twice this week here in the Dallas area!
You can see the rest of our photos here.
Another Amazing Year at DCI
Just got home from another amazing year at the DCI World Championships at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. I’m blown away every year by the level of marching skill and musicianship these kids show. They give up their summer to travel the country performing in the sweltering heat at a level of professional athletes. If you’re looking to support youth in music, check out Drum Corps International (DCI); we joined the Friends of DCI this year and plan to continue our support next year. Though I support all the corps, I tip my hat to Carolina Crown (below) who had a performer injured during the show. He broke his leg near the end of the show, which was heartbreaking to see. But they finished their show, “A Second Chance”, and placed 4th with a score of 95.95. Check out the entire set here.
At Angles for my Birthday, 1995
I moved to Oklahoma City in the summer of 1993, and spent most of my “coming out” years at Angles on 39th Street. Angles was (at the time) the coolest dance club in OKC, with DJ Checkerz (Michael Chechoratti(sp?)) at the helm most nights. Checkerz got most of his music from Oaklawn Records, formerly at Commerce and Oaklawn in Dallas.
While organizing my old stuff recently, I found two Hi Energy and Progressive Top 40 lists from from Oaklawn Records, still in their original envelopes addressed to me. Coincidentally, one of the lists was from April, the month of my birthday. So no doubt I was dancing to these toons at Angles when I turned <ahem> – something something.
Now be honest… how many of you have danced to “Mr Personality” or “Cotton Eyed Joe”?
Here’s the Top 40 Hi Energy list with a few videos of my favs from the time. I’ve included links to the rest that I could find.
- The Bomb – Bucketheads
- Reach Up – Perfecto Allstars
- Lick It – Roula
- Baby, Baby – Corona
- Bedtime Story – Madonna
- Axel F – Clock
- Your Loving Arms – Billie Ray Martin
- Release Me – Industry
- You Can Have It All – Eve Gallagher
- Mr Personality – Gillette
- Can You Feel the Love Tonight – Harajuka
- You Belong to Me – JX
- These Are the Days – Human League
- Here I Go – 2 Unlimited
- Sleeping in My Car – Mobius Loop (I couldn’t find the Mobius Loop version, but here’s a pretty good version by Dancefloor Driverz feat Joana)
- Come Back – London Beat
- Bloke – Republica
- What Hope Have I – Sphinx
- Tonight is the Night – Le Click
- Hot Stuff – DJ Miko
- I’m Ready – Size 9
- Move It to the Rhythm – Technotronic
- I Only Wanna Be With You – Barry White (Dance Mix)
- Nights in White Satin – Sandra
- Always Something There to Remind Me – Tin Tin Out
- Don’t Fear the Reaper – Apollo 440
- Situation – Tom Jones
- We Got Love – One Family
- Don’t Be Proud – Cappella
- Be My Lover – La Bouche
- Keep the Fire Burning – Dan Hartman and Loleatta Hollaway
- Party People – KGB
- Keep on Trying – Twenty 4 Seven
- Love Come Rescue Me – Love Station
- I Wish – Eric Gadd
- Cotton Eyed Joe – Rednex
- Take Me Forever – Data
- You Bring me Joy – Mary J Blige
- Respect – Judy Cheeks
- The First, The Last Eternity – Snap
Here are the originals:
ATU Marching Blast From the Past
I’ve recently been doing a little cleaning up of boxes from my college years at Arkansas Tech University and ran across some marching layout/designs from 1991-1992. For all you band geeks out there, this may be a little bit of cool.
Unknown Show, 1991-1992
Here’s a show from before our director made the switch to computer-based show design.
“Ouachita” Show, 1992
If I remember correctly, this was the first show that Mr. Cooper designed using the computer, and I think it was the first show of our season. I believe the design (not to mention the readability) was greatly improved by computer-based design.
“Gavorkna” Show, 1992
This was our main show of the season, and was a bit more difficult. For one thing, it began with entire band expanding from between the 40 yard lines to the 10 yard lines in about 16 counts. I remember practically leaping backwards carrying my tonal bass and, oh yah, playing Gavorkna Fanfare. If you haven’t heard it, see the video below (and note that the guys in the video are stationary).
Halloween Came Early This Year
Cedar Springs’ Halloween street party was this past weekend, and friends Jeremy and Tician came down from OKC to join the party. A great time was had by all, even though Ticia lost her cell phone and her ID.
Since all my friends that are waiting with bated breath can now see the photos. See the Street Party pics here, and friend pics here.
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Black Tie: A Formal Engagement
When our friend Jeff invited us to the Black Tie Dinner, I had heard about it but didn’t know much. I kind of expected a dinner with a bunch of guys in tuxedos. What I didn’t realize is that the Black Tie raises over $1 million dollars a year for North Texas charities. This year, Gavin Newsom was the featured speaker, and Cindy Lauper and Judy Shepard were award recipients. Jason Walker performed several dance songs (which I thought were a little heavy with vocal runs and wanderings), though is performance of “True Colors” with Cindy Lauper’s sister on guitar was excellent. Cindy apparently had a “family situation” that prevented her from being there, but she deliver a pre-recorded video message.
Thanks, Jeff, for inviting us to this amazing evening. Here’s us with Jeff…
Michael, Jeff and Rich at the Black Tie Dinner
Blue Devils take 2009 DCI Championship
Well, we made it back from Indianapolis, and had a great time. While the Blue Devils have never been my favorite corps, I was impressed with their show this year titled “1930″. They performed an encore after the event and we came down to get a closer view (pictured).
Check out the entire series.
Blue Devils encore performance at DCI 2009
Off to Indianapolis
We’re off to Indianapolis for the Drum Corps Internationl World Championships tomorrow. It’s are annual “thang”, and I’ll get to try out my new camera this year. Out of the 12 corps that perform, I usually take 200 or so pics that I’ll share here and on flickr.
This will be our 7th year, and I’m like a kid at Christmas… don’t know if I’ll be able to sleep tonight. Marching band has always been a love of mine, and these guys are the best of the best.
I’m ready for the goosebumps…
Finally, I’m a Man
Do those noisy-ass Harleys always drive me nuts. Every time I hear one, I wonder what those guys are trying to prove… Maybe the same thing those balding middle-aged guys driving V12 Mercedes convertibles are trying to prove…
Well I bought a Harley. A V-Rod to be more specific. It’s a new generation of Harley designed with Porsche, and I fell in love with it the first time I saw it. And as far as noise, this bike has a smoother, low rumble instead of the typical Harley ear-piercing “scream”. I guess my manhood is a little more subtle…
Halloween on Cedar Springs
Halloween is one of the biggest parties of the year on Cedar Springs in Dallas. We’ve been the last thee years, but haven’t dressed up. The last two years, I kept thinking I should bring my camera and get some shots of all the amazing costumes.
So this year I decided to take my “good camera”, and even decided to dress up like a 40′s journalist to help complete the package. Rich wasn’t sure what to be, and we saw this shower cap with wolf’s ears and the idea of the Big Bad Wolf dressed as Granny grew from that. We ended up at Wal-Mart shopping for a night gown and fuzzy pink slippers. He was pretty comfortable all night, since he got to wear a nightgown and house coat out.
The weather was perfect, though and we met some friends out and had a great time. We even ran into our long lost friends, Bob & Gabe, who we haven’t seen in months.
You can view the entire set here.
Tiny Houses I Want
Wired.com has posted a series of photos of small modular houses sure to please the eco-friendly minded. But more than just environmentally conscious, these houses have a certain Zen that I want when I think about building a vacation house. I mean, how much more escapist can you be in a house sitting atop a column on a lake?
It’s hard to explain to the uninitiated what a modular home is when it comes to building it in nature. They either think I’m talking about those trailer houses with wood siding, or some funky-weird modernist glass box on the lawn. But these seem to commune with nature rather than clash. There’s something about the openness that and simplicity that doesn’t get in the way of the view.
Of course, I have to find a beautiful and semi-private place to build a house like these. My mom lives in the perfect part of Arkansas (north-central), but it’s quite an old-fashioned area (not too conducive to two men with no children moving in next door). But we’ll find the perfect place… it’s out there.
It’s Christmas, Why Not?
I’m getting a little bored with my old K2 based theme. I just upgraded to WordPress 2.blah blah blah and decided to take the opportunity to try out a canned theme. It’s kinda fun, so I think I’ll keep it until after the Holidays.
And then no more excuses… i have to design/implement that idea that’s been floating around in my head for 6 mos or so. Now, to find green grass this time of year…
DCI 2007 Highlights
Just a few of my photos taken at this year’s Drum Corps Championships in Pasadena, CA. You can see them all, including scores, here.
I made this with animoto, the best slideshow generator out there. You can upload your own photos or import them from photo sharing sites like flickr. You can also upload your own music you pick from their library. animoto then generates the video complete with effects. The free service is limited to 30 second videos, but you can create full-length videos for $3 each or $30 unlimited for a year.
I Guess I Love LA?
Well, we made it back from our LA trip, and I must say that aside from the smog and traffic, I loved LA. There’s some great architecture and the weather can’t be beat. We really explored the area and got a flavor for the city as well as the beaches and burbs. Here’s what we saw:
Downtown, the library, Disney Concert Hall, the very cool Westin Bonaventure, Sunset Blvd, Hollywood Blvd, Santa Monica Blvd, Beverly and Wilshire, the walk of fame (smelled like urine), the Oriental Theater, Capitol Records, The Hollywood Sign (drove almost too it, afraid we’d get arrested if we hiked further), Griffith Park, Griffith Observatory, Santa Monica Pier, the 3rd Street Promenade in Santa Monica (twice), Malibu, West Malibu, Topanga Canyon, other misc canyons and mountains, drove Mullholland Drive (until it became a fire trail… it’s a DRIVE on the map!), Pasadena, Disneyland (fun), Knott’s Berry Farm (disappointing), Riverside (Rich lived there as a kid… found his old house), the Mission Inn in Riverside (interesting old hotel, looks like a mission), The Grove and LA Farmer’s Market, Long Beach and the Aquarium (eh… Shedd in Chicago is better), Pacific Coast Highway, and last but not least, The Abbey (where we hung out with some fascinating and fun people).
So blah blah blah… vacation… slides… you know the rest…
The Next Step
Well, we finally took the leap! (again) We put a contract on the empty lot above. While this will be our second house, it will be our first “build from scratch”, so wish us luck! We’ve heard good things about the builder, and they’ve been great so far. The neighborhood has kind of an old fashioned town feel with narrow streets and front porches (the houses in the background are not good examples of this).
Am I a Pethead?
I went to the Pet Shop Boys concert here in Dallas on Sunday (Oct 22), and had a great time. I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect, since I was hung over. While I’ve always been a fan, and I love that Neil is openly gay, I haven’t always been overwhelmed with their albums in recent years. But to hear it live, to feel the music instead of just hearing it, to sense the underlying playful sarcasm in many of their songs (“You only tell me you love me when you’re drunk”); I never appreciated them as much as I do now. It’s amazing that they’ve been together for as long as they have, and still have the same great sound.
I didn’t bring my camera, since a D70 with a zoom lens would’ve set off the metal detectors (the zoom lens would’ve been necessary the backup singers, of course). But a guy in front of us brought his camera and was nice enough to email me some of them on Monday. Thanks Kevin!
His friend was from When In Rome, and is working on a solo project, so check out his site at www.myspace.com/frostmanmusic or When In Rome at www.myspace.com/wheninrome. Man, I loved “The Promise”.
But all in all, it was a great time, and I feel the urge to go to another Pet Shop Boys concert. I’ll have to go out and buy some of the albums I’ve missed over the years… I’ve definitely danced to enough of their music.
Another Awesome Year at DCI
I finally posted our photos from our trip to DCI World Championships in Madison Wisconsin, Aug 12th. First time I’ve ever been to Madison, and it’s a nice city.
Camp Randall Stadium at the University of Wisconsin had some amazing acoustics. I definitely enjoyed the sound, but the photography angle was further back and lower than in previous years. So I couldn’t get any decent shots of the formations, but got plenty of close-ups of the color guard. I didn’t spend much time color-correcting the photos, but I posted almost 400 shots on flickr.
If you’ve never seen DCI (Drum Corps International), you can get a taste of the show on ESPN2 on Sept 5 at 8 pm EST.
Calling All Readers
I love to read (mostly Sci Fi), and have been selling my books to Half Price Books after reading them. But I just found out about a new creation from ::wikipedia(“John Buckman”, “John Buckman”):: called Book Mooch. You can earn points by offering your own books for trade, and in return receive books form other users. I reminds me of the circle of friends my mom used to share sacks of books with… they’d initial the inside cover of the books they’d read and then swap.
I’ve yet to receive my first book, but I’m sure this’ll be the start of something fun and worthwhile! So check it out!
Illustration credit Andrice Arp
Love For Sale
We’ve come to a crossroads at which we’ve committed to moving to Dallas. To that end, we’ve put our house on the market.
It was our first house and we’ve put so much into it (a new roof, new plumbing, had large trees planted, painted and painted some more, refinished and restored hard wood floors in the kitchen, refinished the sunroom, replaced light fixtures and fans, replaced bathroom fixtures, and more.
As hard as it is, it’s time for us to begin a new chapter – one of independence, challenge and chance.
So if you’re looking in the Brookside/Rockhill Gardens area, please take a look!
